As the Pine Bluff School District tries to earn higher marks in Arkansas’ new education accountability system for 2026, one principal has gone outside the walls of her campus and brought back ideas.
James Matthews Elementary Principal Tameka Wright said during Monday’s School Board meeting she and about 15 staff members recently visited a school in Jacksonville that went from an F to a B in four years. Matthews and Southwood elementaries each received a D from the Arkansas Department of Education according to letter grades released in November, while other district campuses and the district itself received Fs.
Matthews’ score, however, was an improvement from an F it previously received.
Wright stated her goal is to increase proficiency and growth for students in levels 1 and 2 — the lower of the four scoring levels in the Arkansas Teaching, Learning and Assessment System tests the state administered each spring. The plan is to ensure strong Tier 1 instruction, targeted Tier 2 supports and increased acceleration of levels 3 and 4 and intentional progress monitoring by May 2026.
The tiers refer to core programming and supplemental interventions within a multitiered system of supports in education, according to the American Institutes for Research.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Our action plan basically is to strengthen daily classroom instruction,” Wright said. “In order to do that, I have to have teachers that are strong with Tier 1 delivery. What I have noticed is that when you have teachers in the classroom who haven’t seen anyone else teach or model what it looks like, they just do what they think is right and they think they’re killing it in the classroom, but they’re actually not.”
Wright said she and her staff came back from the school in Jacksonville and created a plan of action. Wright added she is holding teachers accountable for meeting standard criteria within the plan.
“The bottom line is that our students are growing, but they’re not growing in the manner they need to,” she said. “It’s a slow process, but I tell my teachers all the time, you’ve got to have a sense of urgency because the more these students are progressing in grades, the more they are getting behind.”
Board member Ricky Whitmore Jr. told Wright that Matthews is on the right track for improving its grade even more.
“I would love for everybody else to do what you said you just did,” Whitmore said. “I think that if we stick together, I believe as that same district, we can go from an F to a B.”
HIGH-ACHIEVING TEACHERS
Teachers who achieve a growth score of 80% or above over a three-year period based on state testing are honored across the state. Two Matthews teachers were acknowledged for this achievement.
Kiara Barnes, a third grade teacher who taught fifth grade reading for the past two years, earned a teacher growth score of 85.19%, placing her in the top 10% of all English language arts teachers in Arkansas. Barnes is helping third grade students master grade-level reading skills in order to be promoted to fourth grade, under the Arkansas LEARNS Act.
Matthew Jimerson, a sixth grade math and science teacher, earned a teacher growth score of 86.24%, placing him in the top 10% among all Arkansas math teachers, and a science growth score of 82.68%, placing him in the top 25% among all Arkansas science teachers.
PERSONNEL MOVES
The district approved the hires of security officers Jeffery Cross, Tynasia Parks and Lee Ellis. They replace Marilyn Smith, Cortney Fox and Jaleesa Harroway, respectively.
Carla Frazier has been hired as a special education paraprofessional, replacing Mary Johnson, who is moving to the high school.
Resignations were accepted from Matthews Elementary special education teacher Crystal Shelby and technology assistant Martin Golden.